Wisdom in the Eyes
by Mattiboy3
Summary: Meet Alisa Merchant, the Glasswalker, as she struggles to survive with her new mentor, Chiryuken the Ahroun Stargazer. as they face off against the World of Darkness. Refernce Guide included.
1. Reference Guide

Reference Guide  
  
  
This is a reference guide for all those who want to read my story, but know nothing of Werewolf: The Apocalypse role playing game by White Wolf. Werewolf is part of a series known as The World of Darkness, which includes RPG's such as Vampire: The Masquerade, and Mage: The Ascension. If you'd like to know more about The World of Darkness as a whole, please go to White Wolf's website: www.white-wolf.com  
  
  
  
Introduction  
The World of Darkness is a world much like our own, but much darker. It is a world where your darkest fears not only exist, but walk by you on your very own street. It is a world of blood, pain and death. But most importantly, it is a world of the end times. The Apocalypse, Ragnarock, it has gone by many names, but they all mean the same thing: The end of all things. And it is here. However, not all hope is lost; there are still those who fight for their mother, Gaia. But they are not knights in shining armor. No, the Garou, the warriors of Gaia, know that to kill a demon, sometimes we must become demons ourselves. The Garou, what the humans have come to call lycanthropes, or werewolves, are almost as bloody and monstrous as the evil they battle. Some are even worse. Monsters they might be, but still, they are the warriors chosen by Gaia herself to protect Her, and lo, pity the one who gets in the way of his sworn duty to his Mother.  
  
  
  
Terms:  
  
  
Before reading this section, I suggest starting on the story first, then referring to this page when you come across a word or concept you do not understand, otherwise you'll probably become bored.  
  
  
  
The Garou: Werewolves, the chosen guardians of Gaia, what we call 'the world'. The Garou were originally from 16 tribes, now there are only 12, two are extinct, one has gone over to the Wyrm, and the last has drawn away from the Garou Nation and entered the Umbra.  
  
  
  
Auspices: A Garou's Auspice is the phase of the moon under which he was born, and dictates her role in Garou society. The Auspices are:  
  
  
  
Ragabash: The Ragabash are born under the new moon, and are the tricksters of Garou society. Be sure, if any Garou starts to think too highly of themselves they will soon find a Ragabash willing to take them down a peg or two with his clever wit. The Ragabash are most associated with shadows and stealth.  
  
  
  
Theurge: The Theurge are born under the crescent moon. Born under this shadowy moon, the Theurge are the mystics of Garou society, and are the most vocative with spirits. They are the shamans and the Ritemasters; when one wants to deal with spirits and the other supernatural denizens of the World of Darkness, one wants to speak with a Theurge.  
  
  
  
Philodox: The Philodox is born under the half moon. They are the keepers of Garou tradition and history, the mediators, and judiciaries. They are often the leaders of a Sept during times when there is no open war or Sept-wide battles.  
  
  
  
Galliard: The Galliard is born under the gibbous moon. They are the bards or Garou society, the spirit of the Garou who raise a werewolves will to persevere when things look their worst. They are the artists, the singers, the heart of the Garou Nation.  
  
  
  
Ahroun: The Ahroun are born under the full moon, and thus as the Ragabash tend to have the lowest Rage since they are born under the new moon, the Ahroun tend to have the highest Rage of all the Garou. While all Garou are to some extent warriors, it is the Ahroun for whom battle is the beginning and the ending. They are the obvious leaders during times of battle, when enemies approach, a pack automatically looks to its highest ranking Ahroun to lead them through.  
  
  
  
Caern: The caern is the social and spiritual gathering points of the Garou, they are areas where the spiritual energy of the world collect and pool. The Garou protect these areas fiercely as they are their most sacred locals. The organization of Garou who live at and protect a caern are known as a Sept, and are essential to the communication and relations of the different Tribes. While in the past caerns used to be run by individual tribes, more and more Septs are made up of Garou from many tribes. Caerns are often devoted to certain things such as Healing, Strength, Stamina, or Wisdom, etc.  
  
  
  
Fetish: A fetish is an object that has been bound with spirits; this can give the object (including weapons) many magical properties, and as such they are great treasures among the Garou. All Klaives are fetishes.  
  
  
  
Frenzy: When a Garou loses all control on their Rage, while a Garou is in frenzy, they can not distinguish friend from foe.  
  
  
  
The Gauntlet: That which divides the material world from the spiritual world; this barrier dictates exactly how easy it is to get into the Umbra, and is not consistent in all places, as in the Gauntlet at a Caern is much thinner than in most places given its spiritual and magical nature. The thinner the Gauntlet, the easier it is for Garou to cross to the Umbra, and in places like a Caern a Garou can sometimes cross without even using a medium such as a mirror.  
  
  
  
Gnosis: Basically, the Garou's gift from Gaia that allows them to use Gifts (spiritual powers). Carrying sliver, such as in klaives, reduces a Garou's Gnosis.  
  
  
  
The Gurahl: Werebears. They are relatively peaceful, and are in fact Gaia's Healers, as the Garou are Gaia's Warriors.  
  
  
  
Kailindo: the Garou exclusive martial arts which involves instantaneous transformations while performing fighting moves; needless to say this is an extremely deadly and useful gift. Also, those who use Kailindo are known as Kailindori. Kailindo was developed by the Stargazer Tribe.  
  
  
  
Kinfolk: Kinfolk are people or wolves who are descended from werewolf ancestors, but are not werewolves themselves. Most Garou prefer to mate with people who are Kinfolk, since many already know of werewolves, and they do not suffer from Delerium (see Crinos under 'Werewolf Forms'). If a werewolf mates with another werewolf, the results are always Metis; thus it is illegal to mate Garou with Garou, though it happens, and much too often by the elders standards.  
  
  
  
Klaive: The klaive is a knife or dagger with a blade made of silver. They are ritualistic to the Garou, especially in duels among Garou; however, to draw a klaive in combat almost always means the duel is one to the death. Garou elders try and discourage these types of duels, but with the threat of Frenzying, even ordinary duels carries a risk of fatality. The art of klaive dueling is known as klaivaskar. There are such things as 'Grand Klaives' and they are some of the greatest fetishes that the Garou own, they are basically big ass swords made of silver. I'd be careful that if any of your pack carried a Grand Klaive that they actually knew how to use it, 'cause a Grand Klaive in the hands of an untrained cub of a Garou is often more dangerous to his friends than to his enemies.  
  
  
  
Metis: Metis are always the product when werewolves mate with each other. They are born in Crinos form (ya, think how that would feel for the mother, it is not unusual for the mother to die during birth, and they must be in Crinos form during the birthing process) and are always deformed in some way. They are the lowest part of Garou society, and are the victims of heavy prejudice. When they are given work to do, they are given the lowest and most menial task. While not all tribes treat their Metis the same, well…while some tribes claim to treat their Metis well, the Metis might not be so ready to agree with them. Are Metis bitter creatures? Oh, ya, you better believe it. Do they hate their Garou brethren? I don't think you'd find many to actually tell you to your face, but…  
  
  
  
Moot: Garou gatherings, many are like parties, though some moots, especially those run by the Silver Fangs and the Shadow Lords, are more formal affairs.  
  
  
  
Pack: The pack is the lowest level of Garou organization, and is, basically, the Garou you work with when you go out on quests. They are your closest friends and comrades, for everytime you go into a dangerous situation, it is your packmates with whom you place your life. To lose a pack for a Garou is tragic, and most do not survive long after the death of the rest of their pack.  
  
  
  
Rage: One of the Garou's main gifts is their Rage, which they get from Luna, aka the moon. The main benefit of Rage is that it allows them to transform, when role-playing Rage can be used to automatically transform, without rolling dice to check and see if you make a successful Change. Rage can also be spent to give a character extra actions in battle. Unfortunately, Rage is a double edged sword; when a person's Rage exceeds their Willpower (which can be used to get automatic successes on rolls) then they run the risk of frenzying.  
  
  
  
Sept: See Caern above.  
  
  
  
The Triad: The Wyld, the Weaver, and the Wyrm. These are the three forces which make up existence. The Wyld is chaos, raw energy; the Weaver spins the raw energy and chaos, and creates structure and stability; The Wyrm eats what the Weaver creates, and is the balancing force. This is how it was at the beginning of time, but it is not so now. The Weaver became too ambitious, and spun a web around the Wyrm, trapping it, and stoping it from eating what it created. This not only made human progress run unchecked, but drove the Wyrm insane. Now the Wyrm desires nothing more than the destruction of the world, evil and corruption are its gifts to the world. The Garou still devoted Gaia are sworn to fight the Wyrm and all its minions, though some Garou, most noticeably those of the Stargazer tribe, believe the fault lies with the Weaver, whom first drove the Wyrm insane.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The Tribes: The tribes are the highest level of Garou organization; your tribe is the place where you are always welcome, and dictates many of your traits, and your views on life. As I write, I will add more tribes to this list, but for now I will refer only to those that are pertinent to what I have already written; if you'd like to get a basic description of all the active tribes outside of the Stargazers and the Black Spiral Dancers, please go to the White Wolf website listed above.  
  
  
  
The Stargazers: The Stargazers can tracer their origins from the land Tibet, where their greatest Caern used to reside, before it was destroyed by the Wyrm working through the Chinese invasions. The Stargazers are predominantly Asian, but have been known to travel through out the world, spreading their wisdom. The Stargazers are the monks of the Garou, and believe if one is to fight the evil in the outside world, one must first defeat the evil within themselves. They are the originators of the Garou exclusive martial arts known as Kailindo. So, while they are best known as teachers of wisdom, and for their even tempers, one threatens the life of a Stargazer at her own peril. In an unprecedented move, the tribe as a whole has separated itself from the Garou Nation very recently, and has returned to its ancient homeland to save what little of their sacred places still remain. There is even talk that they will move permanently into the Umbra. However, while most Stargazers have gone with their tribe, there are some who have chosen to keep up their old ways of teaching wisdom to their brother Garou. The tribal totem of the Stargazers is Chimera, the many-faced spirit of wisdom and enigmas.  
  
  
  
The Fianna: The Fianna are from the Scotish highlands, and embrace many of their Kinfolks traits, and are marked by their great passions and harder partying. They have close ties with the fae, and have even been said to mix their blood with them. Their totem is the Great Stag.  
  
  
  
The Glasswalkers: The Glasswalkers are one of two tribes who choose to live in human cities. But while the Bone Gnawers tend to live in squalor and poverty, the Glasswalkers move among the 'crème' of society. They are rich and affluent, and are very much into their technological toys. Glasswalkers are among the only Garou who use firearms. Their totem is Cockroach, which would seem strange at first, until one remembered that cockroaches are perhaps the best survivors there are.  
  
  
  
The Silver Fangs: The once greatest and most noble of the Garou, the Silver Fangs as of late have fallen into the hard-times of many royal and noble human familys; inbreeding has caused mental and physical deformities, and their over-abundant pride has earned them little friends among their fellow tribes. However, many Garou still look to the Silver Fangs for their greatest leaders, because of the tribes precepts of honor, fairness, and goodness. Their totem is the honorable Falcon.  
  
  
  
The Uktena: One of the two tribes of Native American Garou tribes that survives today, the Uktena are known for their extreme interest in all things magical and mystical, and hiding their secrets from their fellow Garou. They guard their fetishes and secrets religiously. Some Garou claim they have let their studies bring them far too close to secrets of the Wyrm.  
  
  
  
The Black Spiral Dancers: The Black Spiral Dancers were once known as the White Howlers, when they were still part of the Garou Nation, and were a proud and fierce tibe. But they one and all fell to the Wyrm, and now do its bidding. Often deformed by the evil powers they embrace, not to mention that many of them are of Metis origin, the Black Spiral Dancers are possibly the worst enemy of the Garou.  
  
  
  
The Children of Gaia: Peaceful (if one could ever call a werewolf 'peaceful') is the more flattering term for the Children of Gaia; a less flattering term might be 'hippies'. But in a society devoted to death, a tribe that promotes peace and working together is something of a breath of fresh air.  
  
  
  
The Red Talons: A tribe made up entirely of Lupus Garou, the Red Talons for the most part hate humans with a passion; it is even said that their Moots have human sacrifices as the main event. If you have the misfortune to meet a pack of Red Talons in their woods, you better start making peace with your maker, because you're going to meet him very, very soon.  
  
  
  
The Shadow Lords: Think, 'Silver Fangs gone bad'. They are not evil per se, but…well, they know what they want, and they have little qualms about the methods of getting it. I wouldn't want one guarding my back.  
  
  
  
The Umbra: Once, long, long ago, the spirit world and the material world were one and the same, and it was a golden age. Well, not anymore. Now they are separate, and the world of the Spirit is known collectively as the Umbra. Garou can cross to the Umbra at will with the help of mirrors and other reflective surfaces. The Umbra is the home of all spirits, though they can be brought into the material realm through summoning rituals, or if they are powerful, they can truly materialize and become very real, and usually very dangerous, enemies. At this time I'm not going to go much into the inner workings of the Umbra, I would rather revel that through my storytelling.  
  
  
  
The Weaver: See The Triad above.  
  
  
  
Werewolf Forms: There are five forms that a Garou can take, they are:  
  
  
  
Homid: Human form. This is also the term given to Garou who are born to human parents.  
  
  
  
Glabro: Glabro form is mostly human, with a bit of wolf mixed in, say with strong, sharp nails or claws, and a relatively sharp increase in muscle mass. In Glabro form, a Garou gains great strength and even greater speed than in homid form. While a very few Garou can get away as being human in this form, most are quite obviously not Homo Sapiens.  
  
  
  
Crinos: The war form of the Garou, this is a half human, half wolf, 8 to 12 (usually closer to 12) foot tall incarnation of death. The Crinos is literally your worst nightmare come to life; when a person who is not Kinfolk sees a werewolf in Crinos form, they instantly undergo the Delerium, i.e., they lose their marbles for awhile.  
  
  
  
Hispo: Think big-ass wolf.  
  
  
  
Lupus: Wolf form, unrecognizable from mundane wolves. Also the the term used for Garou who are born to wolf parents.  
  
  
  
Willpower: See Rage above.  
  
  
  
The Wyld: See The Triad above.  
  
  
  
The Wyrm: See The Triad above.  
  
  
  
The Zephyr: The Zephyr are a subgroup of the Stargazer Tribe who are known for following less the way of the monk and more of the wonderer and explorer; they make up the warriors of the Stargazers and has produced the best of the Kailindori Masters.  
  
  
  
Okay, I'm sure that there is stuff that I have forgotten to add that I should have added, but obviously I can't think of everything. So, please email me or post something in the forum if you have any questions. Also, I'd like to say that if anything here or in my stories differs from the Werewolf RPG it is at my discretion; I am basing my storyline off the RPG, and just as White Wolf suggests I am tailoring some things to make it easier on both me the writer and you the reader. 


	2. The Stranger with the Strange Eyes

The sunset burned brightly upon the waters of the California coast. The beaches were nearly deserted, only the most die hard of Los Angeles' surfing populace choose to brave the winter waters. The waves made a steady beat on the cliffs below, the pulsing heart of Gaia Herself. But despite the beautiful view and calming settings, the Zephyr Ahroun Chiryuken the Soulflame was standing ill at ease. The light set his red hair to a deep, dark red, the color of crushed hematite, his great, golden, raptor eyes staring in earnest at the setting sun. It was only when he turned his gaze from the heavens that one could see that his eyes burned with their own inner flame, like two candles standing against the darkness.  
  
  
  
The person approaching Chi had yet to overcome her trepidation when those yellow orbs turned upon her, but she masked it well. Whether or not she succeeded in hiding it from the Stargazer was only known to him. Alisa Merchant was the owner of this mansion on the ocean, though just by looking at her a person would be hard pressed to except that. She was of diminutive stature, only a half foot over 5 feet even in boots, and dressed like any other 20 year old in faded skin tight jeans, which accented her thin but muscular legs and hips to the the tight jean-shirt with the rolled up sleeves, which showed off the rest of her slim figure. But a person would have to be stupid to miss the obvious power locked in that frame. Many a marauding mage had found this out, far, far to late to do anything about it. Her hazel eyes and deep brown hair showed her Spanish heritage, her facial features sharply defined thanks to her mothers normadic ancestors.  
  
  
  
Not for the first time she noticed how different he was from anything else in her Malibu environment. Even given his distinctly Celtic coloring, no one could mistake the Asian cast to his features, from the up-turned eyes and high cheek bones to his wiry frame; nor could one ignore his style of dress. His clothes were an unrelieved midnight blue, so dark as to almost be black. The kimono was cut to be close fitting but lose enough to leave his movements unhampered, no lose fabric to get caught on out hangs.   
  
  
  
Perhaps what most made him stand out were the objects strapped to his belt: a tachi on the left hip and a tanto on the right, the Japanese long and short sword combination sported by the ancient samarai, however, few of those old samurai would have been able to wield both of the blades at the same time as Chiryuken was rumored to do. The Glasswalker knew that both those blades were fetishes, though what exactly their powers were had remained a mystery to her informant.  
  
  
  
Yes, indeed, when she had heard she would have such a distinguished guest arriving she had dug up as much about him as could possibly be gleaned from her informants in the Asian districts. While the informant had not been able to find out what the fetishes did, he had been able to tell her that they had sliver in the blade; it wasn't that the blades were purely silver, as her informant had described it the edges had been tempered in a clay containing silver in it. Apparently, this embedded a healthy dose of silver particles into the cutting edge, making them especially lethal to Garou and other shapechangers. According to the informant, the only Garou he used those blades on were the Black Spirals, otherwise he was perfectly capable of taking another Garou out with his bare hands. He was in fact Kailindori, a master of the shapechanger-exclusive martial arts techniques, the youngest Master of the Ethereal Way in the last 500 years.   
  
  
  
It was difficult to tell what age the Stargazer was, but her informant claimed he had it on good authority that he had been born in the year of the Dragon, making him 25 years old. Only five years older than me, but a world of experience beyond me, she thought wistfully. If he wasn't here for what I think he's here for, well, I mean, he is kinda cute…  
  
  
  
Inevitably the young Glasswalker's eyes were drawn to the tattoo in the center of Chiryuken's forehead, the most interesting bit of gossip her informant passed on: The tattoo was in fact a Seal against a Rage so great it had almost eaten him alive. The amazing part was that he was still renowned for his level of Rage when roused to battle, and the amount of willpower he possessed to control that Rage was just as extraordinary and a testament to his Stargazer upbringing.  
  
  
  
"I realize I must appear strange to one such as you, who has been brought up in the United States, but I believe staring is polite in neither of our cultures." Chiryuken's eyes never wavered from hers; there was neither malice nor beneficence in his glowing gaze.  
  
  
  
Well, I guess that he saw through my mask. Might as well be gracious. "I'm afraid you are only too correct on both counts. But Soulflame-rhya, while it is an honor to play hostess to you, I must confess I'm confused as to why you have come here."  
  
  
  
The corners or Chi's lips moved slightly upwards, and he turned to face the sunset again.  
  
  
  
"Markanto-dono, what rumors have you heard of me?" Typical Stargazer, answering a question with a question.  
  
  
  
"I have heard many things of your skill in battle, and of your wisdom. But what I have heard most of is your honor." This was all true, if it had not been she would never have agreed to meet him in the first place.  
  
  
  
"Then why do you not trust me?" His eyes had returned to hers, and seemed to bore into hers, as if reaching directly into her mind.  
  
  
  
"But I've let you into my home and have meet you without arms; isn't this enough trust?" This wasn't entirely true, she had a contingency plan in place incase he turned out to be unlike the rumors, that is why they are called rumors after all…  
  
  
  
"Then why do you have that nice older gentleman covering me with a sniper rifle?" Again, Chiryuken's eyes never wavered.  
  
  
  
Alisa Merchant felt a cold sweat stand out from her body. Somehow he had seen right through her. He had known from the moment he stepped onto the terrace that she'd had her butler trace him with the special high-powered silver-tracer-shooting sniper's rifle. She had nothing left. If the Ahroun decided to take her life for this insult then there was nothing she could do. No matter how fast William's reflexes were it wouldn't matter, she'd heard of his speed and there was no way he'd be able to beat the Garou.   
  
  
  
Alisa should have known that if he had come here to kill her, he would have done so with little trouble. She had no options left, but if she were to die, she could at least die with honor and dignity. Never taking her eyes off the Zephyr's, she waved William's off, and walked to the marble statue of Fortuna, Goddess of Luck and Good Tidings that stood at the zenith of the terrace's arch as it pointed to the setting sun. From the stony belt she drew her family's greatest heirloom. The silver in the klaive's blade shone a bright orange in the dieing light. Alisa thought the setting and time oddly poignant, and felt a brief ache in her chest. She had so much more to do, so much to protect. What would happen to the caern her house stood over? It had been in her family's trust ever since the death of the Pure Ones who defended it. It had been the dying wish of a Pure One that her many greats-grandfather protect the caern from the other Wyrmbringers, and even the Uktena who lived nearby had left that trust to her family. Perhaps she had not proven her worth to defend this caern? Or had the Uktena decided it was time to take their old caern back and asked Chiryuken to get rid of her as a favor?  
  
  
  
But the time when she could have asked questions was long gone, and now she must prepare herself for what was to come. She took a deep breath, and called in as clear and defiant a voice as she could: "If I am to die, I would have it be in combat. I challenge you, Chiryuken Soulflame, to a duel by klaive. But I make one condition: We will both fight as humans." Alisa could feel strength and resolve flow into her as she spoke these words of challenge. Is this what it feels like to know without doubt that you are about to die? It's strange, I don't feel that frightened.  
  
  
  
Chiryuken said nothing, he simply detached his blade sheaths from his belt and placed them on the table. He drew out the tanto as his klaive. The two combatants began to circle each other slowly, blades held high. Chiryuken had turned his blade downward in his grasp, so it stretched out along his fore arm. It would reduce his reach somewhat, but the technique would also increase the already deadly cutting and stabbing power of the Japanese blade.  
  
  
  
Alisa felt as if the rest of the world was revolving around her and her opponent, and were holding it's breath in one long moment, the moment before the first strike. The beating of the waves had ceased, and the air was still as death. The only light left was from the sliver of sun still left on the horizon, and the soft glow from Chi's yellow eyes. Suddenly she sensed an opening, an opportunity to attack. She rushed in low to the right, and at the last second dropped to the ball of her left foot, pivoting to sweep the Stargazer's legs out from under him. But her leg meet nothing, as she felt the swoosh of air over her head as he flipped over her. She quickly finished the rotation already started by her kick to bring up a high guard, just in time to catch the descending point hilt to hilt.  
  
  
  
Any other opponent she would have expected to try and use his superior position to try and force her down, but hardly had she felt the pressure of the tanto when it was gone. Instead she was greeted by the sole of his left boot as he snapped it into her face. In her heightened sense of awareness she watched every move like she was a spectator, his 180 degree spin on the right foot, then leaning into that leg as he drew his leg up into his hip, like a snake ready to strike; then, with unbelievable speed, the foot whipped out directly into her face. For a split second all she could see were the emerging stars, and oddly enough, she thought them beautiful at the time. Then she felt the bite of the stonework of the terrace in her upper back as she met mother earth again. Remembering the training she had received at the hands of her late father, she used the momentum to roll into a defensive crouch, sure he would be coming in for the easy kill. But again he surprised her, instead of following up on his advantage, he had returned to his stance from when they had first started the duel. If she didn't already feel the healing in her broken nose, she would never have been able to tell they had started in the first place!  
  
  
  
Now she was getting angry. Is this guy just TOYING with me? I'm in the fight of my life and he's just, just TOYING with me? She could feel the beating of her Rage within her replace the absent beating of the shoreline. The urge to shift to Crinos was strong, incredibly strong. Why shouldn't I? If I get a lucky shot in, I might kill him or at least cripple him so he can't fight back!  
  
  
  
Honor  
  
  
  
Why the hell should I care about honor at this point? This is my life we're talking about!  
  
  
  
But you were the one who demanded the fight would be in homid form only.  
  
  
  
So what? Which is more important, my life or my honor? I'm not some damn knight of the Round Table you know!  
  
  
  
Which is more important, your life or your honor?  
  
  
  
Alisa thought the answer would come easily to her, but somehow she could not force herself to do it.  
  
  
  
Well, she thought whimsically to herself, I guess it's honor after all.  
  
  
  
It was over, and she knew it; he wasn't showing any openings that she could see, if he'd ever really shown any to begin with. Might as well make this memorable. She couldn't get over this giddily brave face she was showing herself, as she hurled herself, with no strategy in mind other than at least landing one blow on him before he casually thrust that deadly silver into her heart. For a split second she thought she had succeeded, she could see his glowing eyes register a brief moment of surprise, and then he was just gone, nothing but air left where he had been standing. Nothing but air and the low railing of the terrace.  
  
  
  
It was far too late for Alisa to try and stop her head long rush, and she felt herself start to flip over the rail. I guess that was a smarter move than I gave it credit. If I'd hit him he would have been a bloody stain on the beach. Too bad that's going to be me now. She felt the lower half of her body leave contact with the railing, and it was nothing but her and the warm air and the moon that was just now finally visible. How pretty you are Luna. Perhaps Gaia will let me serve you in the afterlife. The moon was a beautiful gibbous, waxing, and seemed to be peeking out from a sleepy eyelid. Time just seemed to have stopped all together and she could see and smell every detail of her surroundings. Her sense of smell seemed to be particularly acute; the smell of the sea below her, the marble of the terrace, and curiously the smell of incense. Incense?  
  
  
  
That's when the hand grabbed her wrist in a vise like grip, nearly crushing the bones beneath. Her free fall was brought to an abrupt halt, as her legs swung out over open space. She looked up in utter surprise, to see Chiryuken in Glabro form gripping on to her with his right hand, and to the hilt of his tanto, which he had buried into the side of the balcony floor, with his left. The wiry muscles of his upper body were stretched taunt with the effort of stopping her downward momentum, and the veins in his neck stood out clear even in the approaching dark. Before she could catch her breath he rocked her to the left, then swung her up to the lip of the rail. Frantically she grasped hold, the sudden reality of over 200 feet of empty space below her catching up with her in a sudden rush of acrophobia. Before she clambered back over the railing she looked down at her erstwhile opponent. He probably only did it for the sake of his stupid honor. He can't just let me kill myself, no, HE'S got to do it by his own hand otherwise he won't get the glory! Well, what if I just dropped you right here, huh? He was still only hanging on by the one hand to the blade. She looked right into his eyes and saw…nothing. He was as blank a slate as when this whole thing had started. I don't care what they say about his 'honor', he's only a cold hearted killer, sent here by those damn magic-hungry Uktena. Well, I'll show those ass-holes, oh yes, when they find out I've taken out the Soulflame they won't quite be so ready to take me on, uh uh. As she was saying this too herself, she was reaching down to the knife while changing to Crinos form, fully expecting herself to pull the blade out of the wall and send the blood-thirsty Ahroun to his most just demise on the uncaring rocks. But instead she watched her giant hand circle gently around the Zephyr's wrist and start to pull him up to safety.  
  
  
  
Well, I guess that's it for the easy kill plan, hmm? Why is it the good guys always have the toughest job? I guess I am 'honorable' in my own sort of way. If I somehow survive this (which I won't I'm sure) I'll have to have someone beat the stupid out of me.  
  
  
  
Alisa Merchant set Chiryuken down and proceeded to swing her 9 foot frame over the railing. It was only when she was all the way over that she noticed he had slipped the tanto out of the stonework on his way up, without her being aware of it at all. He truly is something else, isn't he? Maybe I should be honored that they sent someone like him to remove me. There's that damn word again, 'honor'. Someone needs to explain to me why this whole thing with honor is such a big deal anyway.  
  
  
  
Slowly Alisa looked down at her fist and realized it was still clenched around her klaive. I can still fight, I guess. The sprain in her wrist was long gone, healed by her supernatural flesh. She was still in relatively good condition, a little tired from all the excersize, but otherwise ready to go. She got down in a defensive crouch, determined to let him attack this time, if he wanted her so bad. She shifted back into homid form, as she noticed he had, mindful of the agreement at the beginning of the challenge. If you want me bro, you're just going to have to come and get me.  
  
  
  
For what she thought was the last time she locked eyes with this monster of martial mayhem. But instead of feeling intimidated, as she had all the other times, she felt a rising surge of Rage, even after all the shapeshifting, wash over her and give her strength. She stood ready, whatever fate Gaia choose to met out to her, she would except, as long as she did credit to her father's teachings.  
  
  
  
Chiryuken the Soulflame, Ahroun Zephyr of the Stargazer tribe, possibly one of the greatest martial artists to ever be born to the Garou, held in fear by some, and awe by many, looked straight into this proud Philodox Glasswalker Alisa Merchant, with his eyes that glowed with his suppressed rage, and nodded his head once, briefly and calmly. Slowly he turned to the table which stood beside him and took up the sheath which had held his tanto and his slipped it home. Grabbing his already sheathed sword he started into the house, without even looking at Alisa.  
  
  
  
"Wha…What the hell do you think you're doing?!?" For what felt like the hundredth time this confusing day she felt utterly bewildered. First we're fighting a klaive duel, a duel to the death, and suddenly he's just walking away?  
  
  
  
"It has been a long day for both of us, and while I don't know about you, I feel hungry. Perhaps if you let me use your facilities, I can make something for us to eat."  
  
  
  
"But…I…I…" Alisa looked down at the klaive in her hand in despair of ever understanding what was happening to her.  
  
  
  
"Return it to its resting place. It is a good place to put it, the spirits are not happy within the sanctum of the Weaver." Chiryuken had halted in front of the door and was calmly awaiting her.  
  
  
  
Alisa looked one more time at the klaive, then strode over to the statue of Fortuna and returned it to her belt.  
  
  
  
"You had better explain yourself while we're eating or I swear honor or no honor I will kill you in the middle of the second course."  
  
  
  
"If you insist."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
After they were seated at the huge mahogany table set with silverware that was not, really, silver, and the soup was being server by Williams, (whom had actually made the dinner, as Alisa argued, What the hell did she pay him for anyways?) Alisa was done waiting for answers. In truth, she was fed up with this whole business, and just wanted to know what was going on.  
  
  
  
"Spill, Jack. I can't wait any longer." She frowned mightily at him, no longer afraid of him; if was going to kill her, he was going to kill her, and there simply wasn't anything left for her to do.  
  
  
  
Calmly spooning up his soup, Chiryuken smiled faintly, "You were the one who requested I come here."  
  
  
  
"I don't remember ever inviting you here, Soulflame-rhya."  
  
  
  
"I have to admit," Chiryuken let the barest bit of a chuckle slip into his voice, "you did not invite me specifically. When the Cockroach Jaggerling first approached one of my packmates almost attacked it without thinking. Luckily enough those cockroaches are quite resourceful, and he was able to relate the message."  
  
  
  
"The message, but what…" Alisa suddenly halted midsection, and her mouth formed an 'O' as realization flashed through her consciousness. "But I had to have asked Cockroach for help well over a year ago!"  
  
  
  
"Well, I'm afraid I am simply not at the beck and call of Cockroach, and I had a very important quest to finish when he approached me. But I am here now, and I will teach you what you need to know." The main course was just now being served, a specialty of Williams he called 'spicy chicken alfredo'. While it was one of Alisa's favorites, Chiryuken was looking at the heap of pasta with a bemused expression.  
  
  
  
"If you think it's poisoned, we can trade plates, Soulflame-rhya." Alisa was a little hurt at this idea that after all that had already happened she might be accused of trying to poison her guest.  
  
  
  
"No, no, I was not hesitating for that; it's just that I've never had a dish such as this. Please realize, I have spent the grand majority of my life in rural Asia; in fact, finding my way here would have been very difficult if the cockroach-spirit had not shown me the way." The great Ahroun took up his fork, which he stared quizzically at for a brief moment, before positioning it in a relative approximation of what someone who had grown up using a fork used. At first, he only picked at the chicken, scoping it up at first, then finally relenting and spearing it with a slight expression of chagrin on his face, then proceeded to scoop the fettuccini directly into his mouth, as he would were he eating ramen.  
  
  
  
Alisa watched this whole spectacle with an expression of black humor written all across her face. So he isn't a god after all! She grimly chuckled to herself, but before he could catch on she spoke up:  
  
  
  
"If you'd like it better, I could produce some chopsticks for you to use."  
  
  
  
Chiryuken sighed, he was very perceptive and knew this attractive lady wolf was amused by his inexperience with European-American utensils, "Thank you, but no; if I am to live in this house, I should learn your Kinfolk customs."  
  
  
  
"Live…in this house…?"  
  
  
  
"Alisa Merchant," Chiryuken placed both elbows on the table top, then rested his chin on his clasped hands, "I have come at your request for a teacher and guardian; I have agreed to teach you the sacred art of Kailindo so that you might one day be able to defend this caern yourself. Furthermore, I will help to bring other Garou here to this caern so that you might have a proper sept to defend this sacred site. I am willing to do all this, which might take a decade or more, and yet, so far I have asked nothing in return."  
  
  
  
"Soulflame-rhya, forgive me, of course you may stay in this house!" Since it had become apparent that she would not die today, or at least not by the hands of the Zephyr, she had discovered those glowing eyes were just as unnerving as ever. She hadn't really considered the implications of what she had asked when she performed the rite to summon one of her tribe's avatar-spirits, but now that Chiryuken had set them all out, it was asking a lot, and any other Garou would have flat out denied her, or at the very least asked for something quite hefty in return.  
  
  
  
Then part of what he said to her burned into her mind: "You're going to teach me…Kailindo…" Alisa could hardly find the breath to speak, it had been a dream of hers since she was first introduced into the world of the Garou to learn the special martial arts.  
  
  
  
"Please, Soulflame-rhya, whatever you desire of me I shall grant you, money, money is no problem…"  
  
  
  
Chiryuken was shaking his head, his eyes closed and smiling faintly again in amusement, "no, no, there is no need, I have very little use for money, Merkanto-dono. Truly, I am pleased to teach you what I can; it is part of Gaia's plan for the Stargazers that we teach our wisdom to the rest of her children."  
  
  
  
"Soulflame-rhya, you said that we would build a sept here, to guard the caern, but…the power of the caern here is very small, it is why only one Garou has been able to defend it for so many years. The only trouble we've had is from mages trying to steal the energy, and they are easy to handle. How are we going to get other Garou to come here?"  
  
  
  
Before he answered Chiryuken finished his pasta, having watched his dining-mate he knew how he was supposed to use the fork to eat the pasta, but he was still having some difficulty handling the fork. It reminded Alisa very much of a young child eating his first dish of spaghetti.   
  
  
  
"What makes you think the power is so small? I admit, from the outside it seems quite negligible, and it is because of this that the Uktena have not taken back their 'ancient homeland' from your family, but without a sept to draw on it's energy, it has been growing since it came into the protection of your family. Now it is quite large, if one looks carefully enough. I'm not surprised that as a Philodox and a Glasswalker you have not noticed this, it was the Theurge of my pack whom rooted out the true power of your caern."  
  
  
  
Alisa was shocked at this. My family's caern, large? Is that why the mages have constantly been hounding after the power stored there? But that means…  
  
  
  
"Won't the Uktena want the caern after they find out about this? I mean, it was originally their caern."  
  
  
  
"I think," Chiryuken frowned in thought, "that as long as we don't exclude them from the sept, that they will not be willing to risk a fight with the Glasswalker tribe over one caern that they will already have access too."  
  
  
  
"I guess that would work…" Alisa wasn't the sure.  
  
  
  
"I have had many dealings with the Uktena, and while they are very closed-mouth about their secrets, they are otherwise a social tribe, and will not want to start an inter-tribe war."  
  
  
  
"I'll bow down to your judgment, then. Soulflame-rhya, there is something I need to ask you…why did we fight that duel? I honestly thought I was going to die today." Alisa finally asked what had been bothering her the entire time after the duel. Why had they had it in the first place?  
  
  
  
Chiryuken just looked at her with those uncanny eyes, saying not a thing.  
  
  
  
Slowly, the seed of an idea sprouted in her mind, then quickly came to bloom. And the color? Bright red.  
  
  
  
"You were testing me, weren't you! You let me think I was going to die, no, you almost let me die, and you can just sit there and stare at me! I ought to bet the ever living shit out of you! I, I, I, ahhh…." Alisa could feel the Rage rising up in her, blocking off her fear of this man, this person who had let her play the fool in this farce!  
  
  
  
Chiryuken simply raised one eyebrow, poignantly, elegantly, and that said it all. In one simple movement he conveyed quite a bit of information. Not only had he been testing her, he was not yet done testing her. Would she be able to control her anger? Or would she frenzy, here and now, and perhaps force him to kill her in self-defense. It was not that uncommon for a young Garou to frenzy during training, and it was also not unheard of for the young cub to be badly injured or even killed by their mentor. Alisa felt as though she was sinking into a quicksand of her Rage, and if she slipped below the surface…it was her choice. She could let herself fall into the sand, sink down and know nothing more, or she could fight and attain what she had always dreamed. How strong are your dreams, Alisa? Are they strong enough to fight for? To die for?  
  
  
  
Chiryuken rose from his seat across the table and came around and kneeled down by her side. He reached out and placed his hand over her claw, the change fuelled by her Rage. It was a lifeline, a way to pull herself out of her Rage. But did she want to pull herself out, or pull him in with her?  
  
  
  
She looked into his eyes, those damned, haunting, glowing eyes. And a realization came over her. Those eyes weren't really cold and alien at all. No, really, they were warm, a warm yellow glow. Like the spring sun after winter is over, healing the barren land. No, those eyes were not the eyes of a cold killer, or an uncaring elder, but the eyes of a healer, a teacher, who gave more of themselves than they expected of others, not because they wanted the fame and glory, but because they had lived with pain, too, and they knew the way out.  
  
  
  
Suddenly, instead of wanting to rip him apart, Alisa found herself clutching this person, her savior, and sobbing into his clothing, telling him how she had been alone for so long since her father died, and how she had been so scared, and how she had no idea what she was doing, and, and, and…  
  
  
  
Chiryuken didn't flinch away. He didn't tell her to get a grip on herself, that Garou didn't cry and warriors shouldn't be scared. He just held her, and petted her hair as if she were ten years younger, and let her expel all the fears and anxieties she had bottled up for so long.  
  
  
  
Finally Alisa had cried herself out, and was feeling just a tiny bit embarrassed. If her friends could see her now…   
  
"So, Soulflame-rhya, what do you wish me to do?" She had decided; no matter what he asked of her, she would do it; she would do anything to have this man as her teacher. She would make this caern a great center for the Garou in Southern California, and she would do anything in her power to make that dream, her dream, a reality.  
  
  
  
"I have one thing you must do for me. From now on, unless we are in the middle of a lesson, call me Chi. All my friends do." He gave his signature smile, the barest lifting of the corners of his thin lips.  
  
  
  
Such a sad smile. But I'll change that. I'll give you a reason to smile with true happiness Chi, I swear I will. You ask for nothing, but I'll return this gift with interest. I can't erase the sadness in your eyes, but I put joy in there to accompany your suffering. This, this I swear by Gaia. And Alisa Merchant, Philodox Glasswalker, the little rich Garou who had been alone for so long, finally found the strength to smile back through her tears.  
  
  
  
No matter what happens, we'll face it together. Neither of us needs to be alone anymore. 


	3. Training and Reality

The sunset was blinding on the cold waters off the California coast. Alisa Merchant let a smile drift through her exhausted features in a brief moment of deja vu. It had been a month since the day she had fought the most important battle of her life, and already she could feel the differences between then and now.  
  
For instance, at this time of day she was usually relaxing in the hot tube in her spacious "bathing" room off her bed room, luxuriating in the warm water and the sent of the lavender she always added. Instead, for the last month she could expect to find herself ready to keel over at this time of day. And all thanks to one person: Chiryuken the Soulflame, whom while only 5 years older than her was her superior in almost anything you cared to name. Well, anything not having to do with technology. Chiryuken was amazingly dense when it came to the modern comforts of the world, and it was the one thing she could hold over him.  
  
Not that she would. While she might be able to hack Pentex mainframes, he could slice her into equal and separate parts without really even trying. She had come to trust Chiryuken almost as much as she had her own father before he passed away; but even her father had given her spankings before she learned how to shift-forms.  
  
She was getting one of those spankings now. She had been too exhausted yesterday to do her 'exercises' (more like 'masochism' in her book) and so Chi had taken it upon himself to work her extra hard today to make up for the missed workout last night. And of course, he expected her to do the exercises tonight, even after the extra severe lessons this afternoon.  
  
Her moment of 'wool-gathering' as her father used to put it was shattered when a giant fur-covered foot/paw seemed to materialize in the air next to her face, close enough for her to see the individual hairs covering the huge appendage. She startled back and hit the low railing of the terrace with her thighs; and this was one moment of deja vu she did not want to relive. Alisa groped frantically for something to grab on to, when a hand, a human hand, grabbed hers and pulled her back from the brink of a 200 foot plus fall onto jagged rocks, of all things.  
  
She looked up into her saviors face and then quickly looked down again at her feet. Since that day he had first come he had taken to speaking only infrequently, but she had found that his facial expressions could convey absolute volumes of information. If she hadn't known for a fact that he was a homid Garou, she would have had a hard time believing he was not born Lupus.  
  
Right now she didn't even need to read a facial expression, she knew what he was thinking. She had, in a very short amount of time, mastered the basics and even the more advanced movements that didn't involve changing. She could perform them in Homid, Glabro or Crinos form, but where she had come up short was on the techniques that involved changing while she was doing them. The most important part of shape-shifting in the middle of an attack was focus, focus, focus. And she was not focused.  
  
Chiryuken had told her at the outset that it was not common for kailindo to be taught outside of the Stargazer tribe, and this was the prime reason why; it took a great deal of willpower to control your rage at the deep levels that kailindo required. But she was making head way, even if it was inch by inch. She no longer changed when she didn't want to; when she had first started after about three blows she would slip in her control of her Rage and transform to Crinos. Depending on when this was she very rarely gained an advantage; but the grand majority of the time she would find that this only made her a bigger target for her sensei to hit. At least the blows didn't hurt nearly as much, but that didn't take in the embarrassment factor.  
  
Sometimes she felt like giving up, just falling down and refusing to get up. It would be so much easier. But every time she felt like throwing everything away, every time it seemed that she couldn't go on, she came out on this terrace, and remembered. Two-hundred feet of air below her. The feel of the wind tugging at her clothes, and the absolute knowledge that she was about to die. Then the smell of incense would drift out of her memory, and the pain as her freefall was brought to an abrupt halt by the clawed hand gripping her wrist.  
  
"Sensei," Alisa forced herself to look her teacher in his eyes, those eyes that glowed like two candles in the dark, "I don't think I ever said thank you for saving my life that day."  
  
Chiryuken for once was the one to look away into the sunset, his hair seeming to catch on fire as he stared at the disappearing orb. "I didn't save your life, Alisa, I put it in danger. If I'd been even a little bit slower you would have died that day."  
  
"But I didn't. And even so you didn't let me die, you risked your own life. What if I had decided to drop you off that cliff after you saved me? Anyone else who had more brains than I did would have done it." Alisa replied bitterly.  
  
"Alisa," Chiryuken looked back at her and grasped her wrist, the same wrist he had caught to save her life a month ago, "whatever deficiencies you may have, stupidity is not one of them. Many people and Garou who think themselves smart may say that honor is just an excuse for stupidity, but in reality it is a great strength. It is much harder to be honorable than to simply follow expediency. No matter how much smarter those Garou claim they are, they will never be welcomed by their peers, nor trusted by their rivals. Even the Wendigo tolerate my presence on their land, and ask me to teach them what I know. Where ever I go, I am welcomed by those who know of me, for everywhere my name travels, honor is spoken with it." Chiryuken's eyes seemed to be burning brighter than usual, and he seemed absolutely serious as he stared into his student's eyes. Suddenly he realized he had given a speech, and that he was holding Alisa's wrist in a bit more friendly a fashion than he should be. A blush crept into his face and he dropped her wrist as he turned back to stare once again at the last sliver of sun still visible in the rapidly darkening sky.  
  
"I think we've both had enough for one day. I believe there is a hot tube calling your way." Alisa blushed a dusky red as she realized that her Jacuzzi was the first thing on her mind when he said that.  
  
"If you say so, sensei," Alisa tried one more time to see into his eyes, but he had already turned to enter the mansion proper. And she had been so close. She had promised that she would get Chiryuken to open up, but so far he had been a tough nut to crack, to say the least. But she could not think on that right now; she was tired and sore, and the only thing she could even picture herself doing at this point was soaking in the hot waters that were waiting for her.  
  
Then, just as the Soulflame was about to enter the house an idea slipped it's way past her exhaustion, and into her consciousness; "Chiryuken!"  
  
Chiryuken stopped at the threshold and seemed to turn almost reluctantly, "Hai, Merchanto-dono?"  
  
"If we were to wear bathing suits, the Jacuzzi would fit both of us comfortably." Alisa mentally crossed her fingers; usually after lessons Chiryuken disappeared to perform his own meditations and exercises in the room which had been specially transformed for his living and "recreation" needs, as her trusty Kinfolk butler Williams termed it, though Alisa knew in reality his nightly activities were anything but; a Garou, especially an Ahroun and a Stargazer to boot, depended on his mind, body, and spirit to keep him alive and to win his battles against the enemies of Gaia. And for one such as Chiryuken, to fall out of shape, or to be at conflict with himself in battle, meant assured death, and often a painful one. The life of a Garou was not meant to be easy, nor was it.  
  
"Alisa…I…" Chiryuken sighed softly to himself then nodded his head in acquiescence, "I will see you there shortly. But Alisa, be prepared; we will be staying up all night. The wind spirits who are friendly to me have been whispering of a vampire group who has been watching this house for the last week. I do not know their interest, but I feel that it will come to a head sometime within the next few days. We will get our rest now, but then we must prepare ourselves for assault."  
  
Alisa stared in shock at her mentor. Vampires? Here? She had heard of vampires, but she had yet to run across them. But obviously they knew of her. "How many are going to attack? And what time? What if they attack while we're in the hot tube?" Alisa was shooting out questions as fast as they were occurring to her.  
  
Chiryuken held up his hand for silence. "They will not attack until later; for them it is just now morning, and the later it is the more advantage they have. The wind spirits are keeping watch over us even now as we speak, and will alert us if they attack. Also, there is no guarantee that they will attack tonight, they may wait for another night. The only time we know they will not attack is during the day, and so we will do as they; rest during the day and continue our practices during the dark hours. I will, however, make them a bit less harsh on you. Now, if we are going to take our break, we should do so now, otherwise we will not have time." And with that Chiryuken disappeared into the house.  
  
"But Chi…" Alisa was too late. "You always have to be like that, don't you?" Alisa asked the air in frustration, then, squaring her shoulders as if she were going in for another confrontation, she followed Chiryuken into the house.   
  
  
  
Several hours later Alisa found herself sitting in a dark room in the upper levels of the house, with wind chimes swaying gently next to her ear. Her body felt relaxed, and it was the most tempting thing in the world to just fall asleep in her chair, but the threat of a vampire attack was just enough to keep her from doing so.  
  
The time in the Jacuzzi had been both a revelation and a frustration; when he had slipped out of his kimono and wearing only the bathing suit Williams had produced from somewhere, she had seen the battle scars that littered his body. They were mostly superficial, but they must have been horrible before his supernatural body had healed them. It was a frustration that when asked, he replied only that it was the cost of fighting for Gaia. But in truth, when she felt the hot and bubbly water wash over her aching body, she lost most of her interest in anything but working out the kinks in her abused body.  
  
After they had washed away their aches (thanks in no small part to their special healing abilities) Chiryuken had explained how they would spend the night. Alisa, being the less well trained one, would wait in stand by up in the tower room, where she could see everything around the house. Chi was assuming that either the vampires did not know of his presence, or they did not know of his prowess. Either way, he would be wandering around the house and staying hidden; by putting Alisa in such a visible spot he hoped to draw the vampires in sooner than later, when they would be better prepared, or when they had more undead with them. Chiryuken was good, but he was not immortal.  
  
The wind chimes were the wind-spirits way of communicating with her; if the vampires decided to attack, then they would ring the chimes for her. She was then to wait for the second chiming, that would signal her that the vampires were out of sight, and she could go down to meet Chiryuken. Alisa could feel her Rage simmering under the surface, her excitement to show all the new abilities she had learned. This was her nature, to fight, to help save Gaia! It had been too long since she had been in a good fight that she could actually win. Sparing with Chiryuken day after day had started to make her feel like the youngest and most inexperienced Cliath in the Garou nation. But now all her battles with the greedy mages and other creatures were coming back to her, all the times she had defended this caern by herself, without Chiryuken's help or teachings. Alisa felt that she needed to prove herself to Chiryuken, to show him that she wasn't a waste of his time.  
  
Alisa settled herself more comfortably into her chair and forced herself to calm down. She was supposed to be bait, and showing her teeth and claws at this point would only frighten off her prey. Alisa's smile was feral in the darkness.  
  
  
  
  
  
The tower room was lit with a soft rose colored glow in the early dawn. The vampires had been no-shows, the wind chimes had not made a single tinkle all night. Alisa stood and stretched; any leech worth his stolen blood would be inside by now. Alisa was tired and frustrated, tired because she had stayed up all night, frustrated because she had not gotten the fight she was iching for. She climbed down the spiral stair case to the third floor corner gallery, where she found Chiryuken pacing in full Crinos form. He seemed to be right on the edge, and she instantly assumed that he was as frustrated as she was.  
  
That was when the smell registered on her olfactory sense. A Garou learned this particular fragrance intimately in their defense of Gaia, usually from themselves and their packmates. Blood-smell. It was strong, very strong, and it was coming from the hall just outside the room. Alisa quickly made for the hallway, but Chiryuken quickly caught her arm with his Crinos-enhanced strength. But he was already shifting back to Homid form with the moon disappearing in the lightening sky. Alisa wasn't looking at him, but staring intently at the doorway from which the blood-smell was emanating.  
  
"Don't go out there yet Alisa. You don't want to see that." Chiryuken's voice was a calm sea before the storm hit.   
  
"Let me go Chi!" Alisa wrenched her arm out of Chiryuken's grasp and marched out through the doorway. What she saw stopped her in her tracks.  
  
The blood-smell was overpowering now, and it was easy to see why. Words smeared in blood ran from one end of the hall to the other, slowly turning a dull rust red as the blood grew old. At the end of the hallway near her feet was an irregularly shaped lump wearing black dress clothes and lying in a small pool of what blood it had left after all the gruesome writing. Alisa looked down at the shape of the lump without recognizing it for several moments. Why does that face look so familiar? Alisa asked herself. Then all the pieces fell into place; the fancy clothes, the face so familiar.  
  
Williams was more than just her butler. He was Kinfolk, and so not affected by the Delerium, as most humans were. He had been with her since she was a small child, and had been her only close companion after the death of her father 2 years ago, the one person she could trust absolutely with anything. It hadn't been so much as if he were serving her as taking care of her. Oh, she acted like they were just employer and employee, but the truth had been different. And now he was gone. He had lost so much blood from his slit wrists that he looked more like a wax doll than a human. It was fairly obvious what had happened; the vampires, rather than attacking, had used their mind control abilities to take over Williams, then, after having him slit his wrists, write their message for her in his own blood while he slowly died. She crouched down beside her dead friend, and noticed a sparkle under his blindly staring eyes. She reached down with her finger and brushed against the salty remains of his tears. He had been aware while they did this too him, he had been totally aware that he was going to die, and wasn't even able to cry out for help.  
  
Alisa's heart beat seemed to be the loudest thing in the world, louder than the surf pounding the beach below. It was primal, all the instinct and power of the warrior of Gaia lay within that steady rhythm. Alisa could feel the quicksand under her feet again, the same quicksand she had been fighting ever since Chiryuken had become her mentor. But today, she didn't fight it; she dived in, encased in her pain and her Rage.  
  
  
  
  
  
Chiryuken the Soulflame had seen this day coming. Not these circumstances, but he had known that Alisa would slip into a frenzy in the near future. As a Stargazer he was sometimes given awareness of the future, though usually not specific events. His Master had told him that he was given warning before hand when Chiryuken first frenzied during training. It wasn't surprising; even with his Seal he had an inordinate amount of Rage within him; the Seal merely kept that Rage from flaring up and killing him. He had spent as much time in meditation focusing his willpower as anything else, for with his fighting prowess frenzying while fighting in a pack was simply not an option. One of his pack members had been an Ahroun from the Get of Fenris tribe, and had a problem with frenzying. Three times the pack had to stop him from killing all of them in his madness, and finally Chiryuken had as the martial leader of the pack had given the Get two choices; either leave the pack in disgrace for his lack of control, or allow Chiryuken to teach him meditation. Ahrouns as a rule were neither interested in nor adept at mental exercises, Chiryuken being an exception as he was from a tribe of monks. The Get was not pleased; he was already in competition with Chiryuken for the right of leading the pack in war time, as they were both Ahrouns, but to be kicked out of the pack would have been a grave mark against him within both their sept and his tribe. From the moment Chiryuken started teaching him, the feelings of disquiet had started, and though he tried to ignore them. One day while they were doing a joint meditation, the other Ahroun had shifted to Crinos form and attacked him, hoping to remove Chiryuken and thus gain the position of war leader within the pack. Caught off-guard, and without the moon unable to change, Chiryuken had no choice but to use his tachi, Dragon, to save himself. The extremely sharp silver edge of the weapon easily cleaved through the traitorous Ahrouns neck. It had been Chiryuken's first major failing as a teacher, and he had since sworn to never ignore his special feelings.  
  
For the past week he had gotten the same feelings from Alisa whenever they would train. He had been extra careful to watch for signs of frenzy so that he could put her down before she got truly started; everyday that went by the more and more dangerous she became due to his teaching, and the later she learned to control her Rage the worse it would become. Chiryuken had been trying to induce Alisa to frenzy directly before the threat of the vampires had come to his attention, but had given up on it in light of the new danger.  
  
But now, even with his careful planning and watchful observations, he had not time to stop Alisa now. Perhaps it was the fact that he was trying as hard as he could to avoid frenzying himself at what the vampires had done, but to do so would be a death sentence for both of them.  
  
Now he quickly drew his other weapon, the tanto, Tiger, and turned the blade as he had a month ago in his first fight with Alisa. But then as now the fight was in deadly earnest. If Chiryuken could not find a way to put his Raging student out of commission, he would die. He had no doubt that he was skilled enough to stop her, it was stopping her without killing her that was his concern. He had decided when he first took on Alisa as a student that when she frenzied, and frenzy she eventually would, he would not kill her, no matter what. Even though he had killed the Get of Fenris out of self defense, the killing still haunted his thoughts, and forced him to come to this conclusion. But now his convictions would be put to the test, her Rage-filled eyes had turned upon him, and she was gathering her massive Crinos body to attack. Chiryuken raised his blade so it stood out in his upper torso, and lowered his body into a defensive stance, his mind racing. If Alisa hit him, would he be able to keep a hold of his Rage? For no reason, the words written in Williams's blood leapt out at him:  
  
  
  
WE'RE COMING FOR YOU WEREBITCH.  
  
  
  
The mad beast snarled in its primal Rage and launched itself at the puny human standing before it. Chiryuken's eyes blazed. 


End file.
